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Reid labels military leader 'incompetent'

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "incompetent" during an interview Tuesday with a group of liberal bloggers, a comment that was never reported.

Reid made similar disparaging remarks about Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said several sources familiar with the interview.

This is but the latest example of how Reid, under pressure from liberal activists to do more to stop the war, is going on the attack against President Bush and his military leaders in anticipation of a September showdown to end U.S. involvement in Iraq, according to Democratic senators and aides.

Reid, who was bashed by Republicans for suggesting earlier this year that the Iraq war was "lost," is lashing out at top commanders while putting the finishing touches on a plan to force a series of votes on Iraq designed exclusively to make Republicans up for reelection in 2008 go on record in favor of continuing an unpopular war.

Reid, the senators and aides said, does not expect any of the Iraq measures to pass but hopes the effort will drive a deep enough wedge between wavering Republicans and Bush that, by September, Republican senators will break with the president and help end the war.

Vote and vote and vote again

"We want them to vote and vote and vote again" on Iraq, said a senior Democratic senator, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss party strategy. "They are going to have to vote on Iraq until they are sick of it."

The tougher-talking Reid is taking a decidedly harder line on Iraq at a time when anti-war activists are stepping up their criticism of Democratic leaders for not forcing a quick end to the conflict in Iraq.

Besides his comments about Pace and Petraeus, the Nevada Democrat also announced that he wants to hold more votes on ending or scaling back the U.S. military presence in Iraq.

He said Democrats would use an upcoming Defense authorization bill to continue the struggle with Bush over the conduct of the war, especially Bush's "surge" plan to send more U.S. forces to Baghdad and surrounding regions in order to quell growing sectarian violence.

On Wednesday, Reid went to the White House with other congressional leaders to "consult" with Bush on a range of Middle East issues, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran's nuclear program.

Reid again told Bush that it was "time to transition the mission in Iraq" in order to refocus attention on Iran and, more specifically, Afghanistan, which both Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have called the real central battlefront in the war on global terror.

"As many had foreseen, the (Iraq) escalation has failed to produce the intended results," Reid and Pelosi said in a letter sent to Bush prior to their meeting. "That is why we intend to again send you legislation that would limit the U.S. mission in Iraq, begin the phased redeployment of U.S. forces and bring the war to a responsible end.

These are goals consistent with both the national security of the United States and the will of the American people. We respectfully request that you reconsider your previous opposition to proposals that would accomplish these goals and work with us to give our troops a strategy worthy of their sacrifice."

Reid's latest efforts, according to Democratic senators and aides, are meant to lay the groundwork for an expected September showdown with Bush and GOP leaders over Iraq.

Erosion of support within GOP

September is when Petraeus is required to report back to Congress on the progress of Bush's "surge" policy, and numerous Republicans, including House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), have suggested there could be dramatic erosion in support within the GOP for the president and the war unless the political and military situation there shows dramatic improvement.

But Reid and Pelosi are also wrestling with the political fallout from their confrontation with Bush over wartime funding, which saw Democrats in the end back away from their plan to set a firm withdrawal date for pulling U.S. combat forces out of Iraq.

In the face of strong support from Republicans for Bush's plan to send more American troops to Iraq, Democratic leaders could not override a Bush veto of their withdrawal plan.

Democrats did manage to require Bush to issue an interim July 15 report to Congress on the progress of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government in achieving security and military benchmarks, which will be followed in September by the report from Petraeus.

That final result infuriated the Democratic base, which had used the sense of national unease about the war to motivate voters to support Democratic candidates and incumbents in the November midterm elections.

Iraq a bungled issue?

New polls have shown a big slump in the approval rating for the Democratic Congress, and Reid and Pelosi have found themselves accused of bungling the issue, a charge that both lawmakers and their supporters vehemently deny.

''I completely understand how they feel,'' Reid told reporters on Tuesday. ''We raised expectations."

For Democrats, the Defense authorization bill is an attractive vehicle for their fight because the legislation sets policy, not funding levels, for the Pentagon, so Bush and Republicans cannot use the argument that Democrats are threatening to cut off funding for U.S. troops in the field.

The nomination hearing of Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, who has been selected to replace Pace as Joint Chiefs chairman, will also provide Democrats an opportunity to press their view on the Iraq conflict, although Mullen is expected to easily win confirmation, said Democratic insiders. In addition, Democrats will focus on the July 15 report by Bush.

Reid is fully aware, according to Democratic leadership aides, of the disappointment among Democratic operatives over their unsuccessful attempt to set withdrawal dates for Iraq, and he knows that Democrats have not been able to show a dramatic string of legislative victories that impact Americans on a daily basis.

Other than a minimum-wage increase and a stem cell research bill, which Bush is expected to veto, Democrats have "not been able to push through anything that touches all Americans on a daily basis," noted one Democratic strategist.

However, Reid believes that Democratic proposals, even if they are vetoed by Bush or blocked by Senate Republicans, will demonstrate the "sharp philosophical divide" between the two parties on almost any issue, from Iraq to taxes to health care.

Reid believes illustrating that contrast will give voters, and even more importantly, Democratic senatorial candidates and incumbents, a platform to run on in 2008.

Even as he continues to press Bush and the Republicans on Iraq, Reid has also set an extremely busy floor schedule for the Senate over the next six weeks, including the Defense bill; a vote on the Employee Free Choice Act, a top union priority; debate on reauthorizing the farm bill; and work on any of the 2008 spending bills that come up.

The Military Construction-Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security appropriations bills are expected to be completed by the end of this month, although the lineup for July is still unclear.

Democratic sources said the Defense spending bill, which will include additional war funding for Iraq, is not expected to reach the Senate floor until after the August recess, making it the focal point of any legislative battle over Iraq between Bush and the Democrats.

If a deal is reached with conservative Republicans, Reid also intends to bring the immigration reform package back to the floor.

But he will only do that with the assurance from Republicans of adequate support, which is something that neither Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) nor Bush himself can deliver right now.

You know if politicans would stay out of the military issues, the war would probably be over by now.  Leave military issues to the military.  How would it look if the military, told the politicans how to run the country.  This is just another example of the politicans thinking, they know what is best.

The majority of them have little if any Military experience so they don't know the first thing about it.

I know brother, I was just ranting.  We need a rant button, for the forum. ;D ;D

How's this one:


(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/randers/RantButton.jpg)

Prefect..........................................